The present invention relates to a method for making absorbent items and an absorbent item obtained using this method.
The absorbent items according to the present invention are disposable items such as adult incontinence pads, diapers, ladies' sanitary towels and similar items. However, the following description refers, without limiting the scope of the invention, specifically to children's diapers/adult incontinence pads.
As is known, disposable diapers/incontinence pads comprise an absorbent pad which is normally within a soft retaining cover consisting of an inner permeable sheet of spun-bonded material and an impermeable polyethylene outer sheet, joined together and having shaped edges and elastic seals. The absorbent pad is normally made by feeding absorbent material, basically consisting of cellulose fiber, at the outer edge of a forming drum, whose outer edge has a plurality of suction seats shaped according to the desired anatomical shape for the pads. A forming drum of the above-mentioned type is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,484.
Due to the complexity of both the diapers/incontinence pads themselves and the processes known for making them, diaper/incontinence pad production has a relatively high level of rejects. This, together with the high cost of the raw materials necessary for making the diapers/incontinence pads, results in significant economic losses.